Metal Review: Dark Tranquillity | Construct (2013)

I was starting to get bored with Dark Tranquillity because the last three albums have been pretty much interchangeable. They were good albums, but you hold certain bands to a higher standard and when they are putting out subpar stuff (based on their previous work), it is hard to truly appreciate an album. With the release of “Construct,” Dark Tranquillity has thrown that proverbial curveball out to us with a slower, more methodical, more melodic death metal release. The majority of “Construct” puts the melody at the forefront of the guitar sound with assistance from the vocals and some piano work.

Perhaps the best example of this new sound comes from Uniformity with its mix of clean and rough vocals and so much melody from various instruments. I could eat this stuff up all day.

For Broken Words is simply loaded with cool riffs and vocal parts. The song only gets better as it nears its end. The Science of Noise is all guitars. The riffs and groove provided during the track are not rivaled by too many new releases out there these days. It flows so nicely even when switching from one melodic riff to the next.

Apathetic is the one song that I keep going back to. I simply cannot get enough of it The groove to it is fabulous and it is a true headbanging song.

Let me be one of the first ones to commend Dark Tranquillity on the balls to step outside of their comfort zone and deliver a very nice release with “Construct.” There are the mellow, melodic pieces that work really well as well as the heavy stuff that we crave. Kudos.

Construct Track Listing:
1. For Broken Words
2. The Science of Noise
3. Uniformity
4. The Silence in Between
5. Apathetic
6. What Only You Know
7. Endtime Hearts
8. State Of Trust
9. Weight Of The End
10. None Becoming
11. Immemorial
12. Photon Dreams